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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · roll · bound · rash · degree · present · mine · rule

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bound — tied together
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. present — there
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. sharp — clever
  13. present — a gift
  14. present — the time now
  15. rule — government
  16. rash — a series
  17. roll — a cake
  18. mine — for digging
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. degree — an amount
  23. rule — a law
  24. degree — temperature

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com